Page 46 of Ten Years and Then…
She answered it, and didn’t immediately recognize the voice. “Nora? Is that you?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Who is this?”
There was hesitation on the line, then, “It’s—uh, this is Joelle. Your father’s—well, you know. I’m sorry to bother you, I know it’s probably weird, but I’m kind of … I don’t know what’s going on.”
Was Dad sick? It couldn’t be an emergency, because surely Joelle would have called 911 if—no. She wasn’t even going to think about any of the reasons you’d call 911 for a middle-aged man who had a crappy diet and still smoked even though he told you a hundred times that he’d quit for good.
“Joelle, he’s not sick, is he?”
More hesitation. “I almost wish he was.” Then a sort of panicked giggle. “I don’t mean that. Just—at least I’d understand why he’s acting the way he is if he was sick. I’d know what to do. I mean, my sister is a nurse and everything.” The words came faster as she talked; Nora recognized nervous babbling when she heard it; she did it often enough herself. “I think …”
What did she think? What would make her father suddenly act weird?
Joelle didn’t need to say it. It was the same thing that always made her father act weird. He fell in love, then after a few weeks or a few months something broke. He broke.
She didn’t know why, but she’d seen it enough times. It had happened, obviously, with her mother. The weirdness had started long before Nora was old enough to even see it. If her mother hadn’t gotten pregnant, they would probably have split up within a year. And it had happened with Grace, and Ellen, and Tabitha. Those were just the ones she knew about. There were probably more.
But should she tell Joelle? Was it better to tell her what was coming, or wait for Dad to break her heart by surprise?
She couldn’t do that to Dad. There was always a chance, however slim, that this time would be different. Right? “I haven’t talked to him in a few days, Joelle. I don’t know anything.” There she went again, telling a truth that was a complete lie. “I think you should talk to him. Be honest with him.” That was a laugh, coming from her.
“I guess you’re right. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe I’m just too nervous. Thanks so much, Nora, I appreciate you listening to me.”
After Joelle hung up, Nora wondered if she should have just told Joelle the truth after all—Dad was going to rip her heart out. Just like he always did. Just like her mother did, too. Even Aunt Rachel had done it, when she freaked out after her last boyfriend proposed to her.
Oh, God. Everyone in her family broke the hearts of the people they loved. Every single time.
She sat down heavily on her bed and stared hard at her reflection, asking it if she was doomed to do it to Daniel, too. The girl in the mirror didn’t speak, but Nora was afraid she knew the answer anyway.
Daniel, April 8
The last time Daniel had been summoned to Professor Maddox’s office, it had been to praise him and offer him a job. He doubted it would be nearly as pleasant this time. He walked up to the fourth floor of Ellis Hall, steeling himself for the criticism—or worse—that was about to come his way.
But when he got there, his advisor was—well, not quite smiling, but close to it. “Close the door, please, Mr. Keller.” Daniel did so, and then took a seat across from Professor Maddox. As always, the man’s desk was perfectly neat; exactly the way Daniel liked to keep his own.
“Thank you. I assume you know why I asked to speak with you, Mr. Keller?”
Right to the point. His advisor wouldn’t appreciate him trying to sugarcoat things. “I haven’t been doing as well this semester,” he said. But that wasn’t all of it. “And I’ve been distracted in class and I’ve missed some shifts in the lab.”
Professor Maddox nodded. “Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Keller.” There was a pause. “Daniel.” He’d never called Daniel by his first name before. What did that mean?
“I’m very sorry, sir.”
“I already know that. I wouldn’t have asked you here if I thought otherwise. What I want to talk about is why, although I’m virtually certain I know. If I may ask, what is the young lady’s name?”
What? What was he talking about? Why would he think—how would he know?
“Daniel, please. I know students like to think that their elders were never young themselves. I assure you, I was your age once, and I had the same feelings you are having now.”
“Sir, I—I’m not sure what …”
Now Professor Maddox did smile, for real. “For this conversation, you can dispense with the sir and the Professor and call me Scott. We are talking man to man here, not teacher to student. It’s only appropriate.”
“Sir—Scott.” It felt wrong to call him by his first name, even if he’d been told to do it. “You’re right. I’ve been—I love her. Her name is Nora. And most of the time, she’s all I think about. All I can think about.”
It was beyond weird to tell this to a professor. But the man had already guessed, denying it would only be stupid. And kind of cowardly, too.
“Let me tell you a little story. It’s about a shy, somewhat sheltered twenty-one year old student called Scott, and a beautiful, vivacious redhead named Emma. This was the spring of 1962, before the Beatles hit it big.” Now he actually did smile; Daniel didn’t know the man’s face could do that. “As an aside, if you ask me who the Beatles are, I will make it my mission to have you expelled.” Daniel laughed, but he didn’t add that his parents both preferred the Rolling Stones. “Anyway, as I was saying. It was the spring of 1962, and I fell head over heels in love with Emma. I had never felt anything like it before. I hadn’t known I could feel it.”
